Green Tea for Weight Loss - Benefits of Drinking Tea For Losing Weight

Everyone is looking for that secret little pill or drink that will make losing weight more effective and easy. Let me be the first to tell you that only through proper diet and exercise will losing weight and keeping the weight off really work. Many people question if green tea should be used as a dietary supplement in boosting one's weight loss and helping suppress one's hunger.

Green tea has many benefits as we are learning more and more every day. Green tea is as effective as drinking a couple cups of coffee. Green tea is a decent fat burner and can be found in many over the counter supplements today. So the question remains, how does green tea work and will it be effective in your weight loss goals?

Green tea is a power antioxidant. Some researchers have suggested that green tea is 200 more times effective than vitamin E. That's right, 200 more times effective in burning fat for weight loss. Green tea may be used as a sugar regulator also known as a glucose regulator. What this means in a sense is that taking green tea slows down the rise in blood sugar following a meal.

The next question you probably have is how is this possible. Well, let me explain. Green tea slows down the process by amylase which is a digestive enzyme. This enzyme is important because this enzyme breaks down the carbs that can cause your blood sugar to peak after having a meal.

There are many other benefits to weight loss with the use of green tea. One is that green tea has helped aid weight loss by increasing the heart rate, causing a greater calorie burn. Green tea may also inhibit fatty acid synthase. What this means is that green tea takes the fatty acid synthase and turns the carbs into fat. There have been studies conducted on animals that show that this breakdown of fatty acid synthase can lead to weight loss.

Green tea's ability to help one lose weight is a result of several different factors. As discussed thus far, these include an increased metabolism, a positive effect on blood sugar and insulin regulation, and possibly the inhibiting of certain enzymes which are required for the processing of carbohydrates and fats. Green tea has also been shown to lower LDL levels (that's "bad" cholesterol) as well as triglyceride levels.

The next question one might ask is, is it safe to take green tea with caffeine? Simply put, yes it is. You can find that many over the counter diet pills will contain caffeine and green tea or at least one if not both. Now, not to raise one's hopes that just taking green tea alone will allow for weight loss, it is important that we remember we must exercise in order to effectively take the weight off. Green tea's true effects are very minimal at best and the effects can truly only be seen with the right diet and exercise program.

I have found that taking green tea helps curb the sweet tooth midday and gives me an extra burst of energy. So taking green tea is a good idea if taken correctly. I advise that you always consult with a doctor before beginning any type of diet or exercise regimen. Especially if you have 20-30 pounds to lose. Consulting with a doctor may seem like a terrible pain, but you want to make sure that your body can handle what you are going to be asking of it. This also means disclosing any over the counter diet pills or supplements you may be taking or wanting to take. As with any supplement, there are risks. With green tea, the biggest risk is increased heart rate or feeling shaky. If this occurs, stop taking green tea or limit the amount of green tea you are taking and consult a doctor.

By Christina Carney